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Tory leader Patrick Brown apologizes for sex-ed ‘mistake’

A Progressive Conservative government would retain Ontario’s updated sex education curriculum and Tory Leader Patrick Brown said it was “a mistake” for his party to claim otherwise.

Ontario Tory leader Patrick Brown, seen here at the party's convention in Ottawa last March, appears to have flip-flopped on the issue of a new sex education curriculum. (FOR THE TORONTO STAR / DAVE CHAN)

A Progressive Conservative government would retain Ontario’s updated sex education curriculum and Tory leader Patrick Brown admits it was “a mistake” for his party to claim otherwise.

It’s a major climbdown after his campaign told voters casting ballots in Thursday’s Scarborough-Rouge River byelection that “a PC government would scrap the controversial changes to sex-ed” the Liberals implemented last year.

“I believe it’s important to admit mistakes when they happen. It was a mistake for a letter to go out to Scarborough-Rouge River voters saying that I would ‘scrap’ the updated curriculum,” Brown wrote in an opinion piece for the Star.

“This is not my view. This is not what I will do. In fact, the opposite is true. I apologize.

“I strongly support an updated curriculum that takes into account changing attitudes and the world in which children now dwell. They are being asked to understand challenging topics in ways their parents were not.

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“It is important to have sex education to combat homophobia, and raise important issues like consent, mental health, bullying, and gender identity. The world has changed and so should the curriculum.”

Brown blamed overzealous supporters of Tory candidate Raymond Cho, a city councillor, for the snafu, noting “changes to the curriculum are hot topics” in the byelection.

“The campaign in Scarborough-Rouge River wished to express these concerns and to assure voters that when it came time for the next round of updates, both experts and parents would be thoroughly consulted. Much to my regret, it went too far when it said I’d ‘scrap’ the curriculum.”

Earlier Monday, he was accused of “flip-flopping” on the issue.

Education Minister Mitzie Hunter blasted him for “putting students at risk” by seeming to oppose changes that last spring he endorsed.

“The fact that Patrick Brown has put out a secret letter that says that he would cancel that curriculum . . . is really not thinking about the safety of our kids and is, frankly, disappointing,” Hunter told reporters at a Toronto school.

“First, he was against the curriculum, then he said he was okay with it, and now he’s changed his mind. That’s flip-flopping and it’s important that . . . people recognize (that)” said Hunter, who represents the neighbouring riding of Scarborough-Guildwood.

“It’s a matter of Patrick Brown saying whatever he needs to say to advance his political agenda. He’s flip-flopped on this issue and (I’m) not sure what people can trust.”

In the now-discredited missive, the Tory leader said if he wins the 2018 provincial election his government would “develop a new curriculum after thoughtful and full consultation with parents.”

His letter did not specify what he feels must be amended.

Premier Kathleen Wynne last year pushed through the first update to the curriculum since 1998 — an era that predated Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter as well as legalized same-sex marriage.

The revamped syllabus includes Grade 3 students learning about gay and lesbian relationships, Grade 6 pupils being told about masturbation and “gender expression,” and those in Grade 7 being warned of the dangers of sexting.

But some social conservatives oppose the new courses, claiming they are instruction manuals on masturbation, anal and oral sex that undermine their religious beliefs.

Brown’s U-turn outraged evangelical leader Charles McVety, who had been a key Brown supporter during the 2015 leadership contest.

“It is always sad to see a politician be deceitful, but it is especially troubling when he is so brazen the he will flip three times on the same issue,” McVety said Monday night.

“We have been used, deceived and betrayed. For the sake of our children Patrick Brown must step down and allow a principled, trustworthy person to lead the party.”

It is unclear if the kerfuffle will help or hinder the Tories as they strive to win a seat that had been held by Liberal Bas Balkissoon, who resigned suddenly and without explanation in March.

Cho is trying to take the riding for the Tories against Liberal Piragal Thiru, a York Region transportation planner, and NDP school trustee Neethan Shan.

Weighing on Brown’s letter, Shan emphasized that “our first priority must be to protect the safety, health, and well-being of students.”

“That’s why it was time to update the health and physical education curriculum to ensure it will keep kids safe and provide appropriate resources to teachers and parents,” he said in an email Monday.

“Going forward, it’s also important for the government to engage in ongoing dialogue with parents and education professionals to ensure the curriculum remains up-to-date.”

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